8. Dhasavatar - Varahavatar (Devotional)

      Varahavatar is 3rd incarnation of Lord Vishnu. As explained in Birth of Gods And Demons, Kashyap married to 13 daughters of Daksha Prajapati. From Diti he got Hiranyakashyapu and Hiranyaksha. In previous life Hiranyakashyapu and Hiranyaksha were Lord Vishnu's gatekeepers Jaya and Vijaya respectively. One day Brahamputra Sankadik Rishis came to meet Vishnu who were obstrcuted by these gatekeepers. Angered by this humiliation, rishis cursed them to be demons. Jaya and Vijaya pleaded Vishnu to save from this curse. Vishnu told them that they cant avert rishi's curse but he can change it to 3 lives as enemies or 7 lives as friends to himself. Jaya and Vijaya chose to take 3 lives as enemies to Vishnu as they can finish 3 life cycles quicker than 7. That's why they took their first life as Hiranyakashyapu, Hiranyaksha and second life as Ravana, Kumbhakarna and third life as Sisupala, Dantavakra. In each life they were enemies to Vishnu and got killed by him in different avatars. Vishnu also told them that even though they will be enemies to him, they will always chant his name. That's why these demons were always chanting Vishnu's name planning how to kill him.

      Hiranyaksha was stronger than his elder brother. Hiranyaksha prayed Lord Brahma and got a boon that he wont meet his death by any human, god or beast. Hiranyaksha was thinking that he is immortal by this boon and started harassing whole world. At that time Manu and Shatrupa were ruling the world. Hiranyaksha took the  mother earth from them and sank it under cosmic ocean. All gods worried by this prayed Vishnu to save them. One day a tiny boar fall from Brahma's nostrils. Everyone wondered what it is. It slowly started growing till it was in size of a big mountain. Boar is not in beasts list. So Vishnu took avatar as a boar to kill Hiranyaksha. He searched for mother earth in cosmic ocean and lifted it on his tusks thus saving the world. Angered by this, Hiranyaksha challenged Varaha to fight with him. Finally Vishnu killed him.

      When mother earth was taken by Hiranyaksha into cosmic ocean, A demon called Narakasura was born to her. Vishnu as Varaha married mother earth after saving her from Hiranyaksha. Mother earth asked Vishnu not to kill his son Narakasura even though he is a demon. Vishnu gave her boon that Narakasura wont meet his death by anyone other than his own mother. So in Krishnavatar mother earth took life as Sathyabhama and killed Narakasura.